- Project: Abu Samra House
- Architect: Symbiosis Designs LTD
- Location: Jordan, Amman
- Year: 2008
- Area: 1300 m2
- Photography: Arnaldo Genitrini, Osman Akuz, Ghassan Aqel
The Abu Samra House, completed in 2008 by award-winning firm Symbiosis Designs LTD, stands as a bold redefinition of residential architecture in Amman, Jordan. Unlike the city’s widespread use of stone facades, this project challenges convention through its earthy plastered surfaces and sculptural massing that interact thoughtfully with the harsh desert sun and rugged landscape.
Reimagining Materiality in Amman
In a city where white or pale stone dominates architectural expression, Abu Samra House introduces an alternative language rooted in contextual materiality. Instead of traditional stone, the architects chose earth-toned plaster—an unexpected yet regionally resonant material. This conscious shift elevates what is often seen as a low-budget finish into a refined, high-quality exterior that requires skilled craftsmanship.
“Plaster finishes are common in Jordan, but generally are used as a cheap alternative to stone. This project challenges such connotations,” note the architects.
This deliberate material contrast brings each cubic mass to life, providing subtle depth and warmth to the home’s visual narrative.
Geometry and Massing in Harmony
Architecturally, the residence consists of two cubic volumes joined by a linear gallery corridor. While the southern volume aligns with the axis of the corridor, the northern mass is rotated to disrupt symmetry and maximize views of the surrounding terrain. This spatial arrangement allows the house to remain grounded yet expressive—a balance between conceptual reductionism and spatial dynamism.
The southern-facing walls are punctuated by simple rectangular window openings, offering controlled daylight and privacy. Meanwhile, a corner cut-out with recessed glazing reveals the wall’s significant thickness, emphasizing the building’s solidity and its fortress-like protection from Amman’s intense climate.
A Dialogue with Architectural History
While thoroughly modern, the design recalls influences from De Stijl architecture, particularly the 1924 Rietveld-Schröder House in Utrecht. However, rather than mimic Western modernism, Abu Samra House localizes this language. It brings together two-dimensional planar gestures and three-dimensional sculptural forms, creating a home that’s simultaneously abstract and deeply contextual.
The composition’s duality of lightness and mass reflects the desert’s own paradoxes—openness and harshness, brightness and depth.
A Landmark of Modern Jordanian Architecture
With its nuanced palette, expressive volumes, and unconventional material use, Abu Samra House represents a fresh architectural voice in Jordan. It exemplifies how minimalism, when rooted in local tradition and environmental response, can produce powerful, place-sensitive architecture.
